Va'Et'Chanan (And I Pleaded)
2) Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11
Does God want you to be a beggar?
If you are like me, I chafe at this thought. The idea of God wanting me to be a beggar conjures up negative images.
But I’ve learned to interrogate my assumptions rather than be driven by them. And my interrogations are designed for discernment. I examine my assumptions and try to discern the difference between what is pleasing to God versus what displeases Him. Furthermore, I examine my assumptions to discern what is biblical versus unbiblical—since I hold God’s word to the the ultimate standard (even though I cannot understand all of it!) David and Solomon did the same.
Trust in Adonai with all your heart,
lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
— Proverbs 3:5-6
The name of this week’s portion is Va’et’chanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּן) which means “And I Pleaded.” Moses is pleading with God.
Moses is begging.
The parashah begins with Moses begging for permission to enter the Promised Land. The background for Moses’ dilemma is described in Numbers 20:7-13. Basically, God says, “No!”
And Moses pleaded.
Moses is desperate. Pleading for favor from God to grant his request. Here’s where things get interesting.
While begging may appear to be a bad thing, I believe the portion’s name gives us a window into a valued posture before God — desperation. Let me explain.
The root word for va’et’chanan is chanan (חָנַן) which in Hebrew means “to show favor, be gracious.” So, Moses’ pleading—his begging—involved a pre-existing relational intimacy with God, Who is good and Whose love endures forever. God’s enduring love is affirmed in every verse of Psalm 136. Moses was desperate and his desperation served as the impetus for his passionate request for God to give him what he wanted.
This root word, chanan (חָנַן), shows up with the same translation of “desperate pleading” in Genesis 42:21 when Joseph was turning up the heat with his brothers who did not recognize him in his role of ruler of Egypt.
They [Joseph’s brothers] said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother [Joseph]. We saw how distressed he [Joseph] was when he PLEADED with us for his life [see Genesis 37], but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”
Just as Moses was pleading with God, Joseph pleaded with his brothers when they were about to throw him in a pit and then sell him into slavery. The picture in both instances is desperation.
God delights to show His favor in response to our desperation. God is not stingy or capricious. God is not cruel and merciless. God is patient and kind. Furthermore, God knows that we were created for love—to give and receive love. So simple…but so difficult.
Desperation breeds sincerity…and sincerity annihilates superficiality.
Just like they say that there are no atheists in fox holes — desperation breeds sincerity…and God uses trials to harvest Relational Depth with us through deepening sincerity and desperation in our prayers. Asking God for a good day or thanking Him before a meal is good but can be superficial. Pleading with God to fulfill promises — or with your brothers who are about to kill you — comes from a much deeper place.
Are there any areas of your life where you feel desperate? Perhaps these are exactly the places where God wants to meet you and lead you into His good purposes.
When Joseph was younger and experiencing the hardships and trials with his brothers, things must have felt grim. It was only with the passage of time and the benefit of hindsight that he would later declare in Genesis 45:5-8 to his brothers,
…do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that GOD SENT ME ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But GOD SENT ME ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, IT WAS NOT YOU WHO SENT ME HERE, BUT GOD. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.
When the dashboard view is riddled with uncertainty and anxiety triggering circumstances, take heart! Pray prayers of desperation…and the rearview mirror will reveal God’s good and perfect plan! Even if that plan extends into Olam haBa—the Age to Come.
Moses’ pleading did not yield the desired outcome in his lifetime. Consider, however, what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration. Moses, along with Elijah, touched down and did enter the Promised Land. Furthermore, God promises a physical resurrection of our bodies even as He promises to restore Jerusalem as the epicenter of His Kingdom here on earth. I believe Moses will indeed enter the Promised Land in a glorified body, even as all of us will whose name is written in the Book of Life. The prophet Daniel spoke of this future time,
…at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake [bodily resurrection]: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:1-4)
I want to be wise. I want to shine like the brightness of the heavens. I want to lead many to righteousness. How about you?
A powerful prayer of desperation is the Maranatha cry. Maranatha is not only a declaration that the Lord has come, it is a declaration of faith that the Lord is coming. Furthermore, it can be a desperate cry for the Lord to COME! God promises to send the Messiah to come and right every wrong, wipe every tear, and heal every hurt. My heart longs for this. How about you?
Readings for the Week:
Torah: DEUTERONOMY 3:23–7:11
Prophets: ISAIAH 40:1–26
Apostolic Writings: MATTHEW 23:31–39
Click HERE for the online Parashah commentary. (If you prefer a printed copy, please email me at thomas@faithforall.org)
Shalom,
Thomas